“Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you but is not defined by your existence alone.” @SenJohnMcCain @IRIglobal

Your reminder that China is intentionally sustaining a war which is killing innocents, ravaging our continent, and has been given a free pass for it. Extraordinary how Beijing keeps telling us who they are, and we keep pretending not to hear.

On June 13, 1777, a 19-year-old French teenager landed on a beach in South Carolina, uninvited, to fight in someone else's war. He would become one of the most important men in American history. The Marquis de Lafayette was one of the richest young aristocrats in France. He had a beautiful wife, a fortune, and zero reason to risk any of it. But he believed in the American cause so fiercely that when the French king forbade him from going, Lafayette bought his own ship and sailed anyway. He literally went AWOL from a life of luxury to bleed for a country that didn't exist yet. Congress was annoyed at first. Another foreign officer looking for a paycheck? Then Lafayette offered to serve for free and pay his own way. That got their attention. He met Washington and the two formed one of the great father-son bonds in American history. Washington had no biological children. Lafayette named his only son George Washington Lafayette. He took a bullet in the leg at Brandywine and kept rallying the retreat. He was instrumental at Yorktown, the battle that won the war. He went home a hero on two continents. A foreign teenager believed in America before America did. 249 years ago today.

Keiko joins a growing list of right-wing leaders elected across South America. Only Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil have leftist leaders. But Colombia may elect a far-right one in a week, and Brazil could elect Bolsonaro's son in an October election. wsj.com/world/americas/the-d… @WSJ

Carrie Filipetti of @VandenbergCo nails it washingtonexaminer.com/op-ed…

A strong majority of Americans, including MAGA Republicans, support Ukraine and understand that Russia is an adversary. Carrie Filipetti explains fascinating @VandenbergCo polling at @IWF event on the Russia Reality with @mobbs_mentality

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered the most forceful line of the Cold War in a speech in front of the Berlin Wall: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Embedded in this challenge was a clear commitment that U.S. policy must ultimately work to ensure that liberty prevails over oppressive regimes, achieved through sustained pressure and championing U.S. enlightened principles. In this video, @michaelallenJMA, Managing Director and Partner at Beacon Global Strategies, and @RogerZakheim, Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, discuss Reagan’s landmark speech and how it should guide U.S. strategy today.

We welcome this joint statement by 22 governments highlighting the threat of transnational repression against Iranians living abroad. Freedom House's research identifies Iran as one of the world's top perpetrators of transnational repression. As Iranian authorities seek to silence critics beyond their borders, democracies must stand together to protect exiled communities and defend fundamental freedoms. Read more: freedomhouse.org/report/spec…

Peru counts ballots and just 534 votes separate Keiko and Sanchez. Just incredible in a country of 35 million. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Russia’s intelligence service now controls the Russian internet, cycling it on and off to manage perceived threats to Vladimir Putin. “Nothing works,” says a worker at a Moscow supermarket. “We’re living as if we’re back in the Stone Age.” ft.com/content/da121259-3823…

We convened freedom fighters & policymakers from across Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) 🇨🇴🇨🇷🇸🇻🇬🇹🇳🇮🇻🇪 in Guatemala last month to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Uyghurs inside & outside of China & devise LAC-driven strategies to protect fundamental freedoms.

Too many still look at 🇺🇦 as a kind of charity case. In reality Europe has much to learn from #Ukraine’s achievements, especially in drone technology, production and deployment. Europe’s armies can bolster their own security by investing in their neighbor. economist.com/leaders/2026/0…

The Chinese leader’s purge has swallowed the network of the man who once ran it: Wang Qishan, the enforcer Xi trusted to hunt “tigers”—Beijing’s term for high-ranking officials. @Lingling_Wei wsj.com/world/china/chinas-x…

#Venezuela has carried out one of the most systematic destructions of private wealth ever in the Western Hemisphere. Not one expropriation has been genuinely reversed. It will remain that way until democracy & rule of law are restored. @leopoldolopez wsj.com/opinion/delcy-rodrig…

US adversaries collaborate globally: 🇨🇳 has major economic and security investments in Africa and South America, 🇺🇦 is fighting North Korean soldiers who have Iranian drones, 🇷🇺 has helped Tehran target 🇺🇸 forces. 🇺🇸 needs its allies. Tom Mahnken @CSBA reader.foreignaffairs.com/20…

Congratulations to the people of Armenia🇦🇲 on a successful National election, which @IRIglobal was honored to observe. Read the findings of our election observation mission to #Armenia here: iri.org/news/iri-announces-p…

India’s population will peak at about 1.6bn in 20 years or so, and then fall back dramatically to just under a billion before the century ends. Asia as a whole may also reach its apex in the 2040s. @TheEconomist economist.com/leaders/2026/0…

Our international election observation mission to Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary elections 🇦🇲 released its preliminary statement. Despite extensive foreign influence efforts, including vote-buying & false narratives promoting pro-Russian narratives, Armenian voters resisted this pressure & made their voices heard at the ballot box. 🗳️ Voting was generally calm and orderly, with strong civic engagement. IRI observers found no systemic irregularities that compromised the integrity of voting or counting. If implemented, the delegation’s recommendations could help strengthen electoral integrity, peaceful participation, & public confidence in future electoral processes. Read the full statement: iri.org/resources/iri-prelim…

China’s internal surveillance apparatus creates opportunities for China’s rivals to peek efficiently inside its borders. One “Five Eyes” official says: “They’re the ones putting the cameras up—all we have to do is find a way in… there is always a way in.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftartic…

The director of Russia’s FSB cautioned regional security chiefs last week that Russia’s vast surveillance apparatus had become a vulnerability — turning the authoritarian regime’s tools to monitor its own citizens into a weakness its enemies could exploit. ft.com/content/6f4d806c-eb22…

One of the greatest speeches of the late 20th century, given on the 40th anniversary of one of the most spectacular days in human history.